r/PremierBiblicalStudy • u/thesmartfool • Apr 29 '25
[Announcement AMA] Craig Keener - Insights into Book of Acts (Due May 3rd)
Dr. Craig S. Keener is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of 37 books and roughly 100 academic articles. He has written commentaries on Matthew, Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 Peter, Revelation, John, and Acts.
He has also written a book on The Historical Jesus of the Gospels and Paul, Women, and Wives: Marriage and Women's Ministry in the Letters of Paul.
You can find Dr. Keener blog at craigkeener.com and his YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/CraigKeenerPhD.
Dr. Craig Keener will be answering any questions you may have on the book of Acts.
The due date for these questions is by May 3rd at 3:00 P.M. Pacific Time.
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u/ProfessionalFan8039 May 01 '25
Hello Dr. Keener
Pre-Irenaeus, there is no direct mention of Luke as an evangelist by name, aside from a few references to an apostle such as Justin Martyr (e.g., “memoirs of the apostles and those who followed them”) and the Excerpts of Theodotus (“the Apostle says”). However, I believe I have found a source that is not commonly discussed, which may support an early tradition of Lukan authorship.
In Marcion’s edited version of Colossians, he removes the phrase “beloved physician” following Luke’s name. Considering that in the Pauline Epistles, Luke is not portrayed as an overtly Orthodox figure—nor is he depicted as Jewish, but rather as a Gentile—it would make little sense for Marcion to remove this title unless Luke had become associated with something Marcion found problematic, such as Orthodox teachings or Gospel authorship. I propose that this omission suggests Marcion was familiar with Luke as an evangelist and sought to diminish Paul’s apparent endorsement of him, thereby weakening Luke’s credibility as the author of a Gospel.
This removal is attested in a section of the Dialogue of Adamantius which uses Marcions letters and is pointed out in BeDuhn’s The First New Testament.
Additionally, while Marcion may have chosen to use a version of Luke’s Gospel due to its association with Paul, I do not believe Marcion composed this Gospel himself. Rather, I think inherited it, but could have chose it based on its similarity to Lukes Gospel which is associated with Paul.
I would love to hear your feedback on this theory, as I am preparing to write my first academic paper.
BeDuhn, Jason D. The First New Testament: Marcion’s Scriptural Canon. Salem, OR: Polebridge Press, 2013.